burst
Americanverb (used without object)
-
bursts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
burst,
past participle, past
-
bursted,
past participle, past
-
bursting
present participle
-
to break, break open, or fly apart with sudden violence.
The bitter cold caused the pipes to burst.
-
to issue forth suddenly and forcibly, as from confinement or through an obstacle.
Oil burst to the surface. He burst through the doorway.
-
to give sudden expression to or as if to emotion.
to burst into applause; to burst into tears.
-
to be extremely full, as if ready to break open.
The house was bursting with people.
-
to appear suddenly; become visible, audible, evident, etc., all at once.
The sun burst through the clouds.
verb (used with object)
-
bursts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
burst,
past participle, past
-
bursted,
past participle, past
-
bursting
present participle
noun
-
bursts
plural
-
an act or instance of bursting.
-
a sudden, intense display, as of activity, energy, or effort.
The car passed us with a burst of speed.
- Synonyms:
- spurt
-
a sudden expression or manifestation, as of emotion.
a burst of affection.
- Synonyms:
- outbreak
-
a sudden and violent issuing forth.
a burst of steam from the pipe.
- Synonyms:
- outbreak
-
Military.
-
the explosion of a projectile, especially in a specified place.
an air burst.
-
a rapid sequence of shots fired by one pull on the trigger of an automatic weapon.
A burst from the machine gun shattered all the windows.
-
-
the result of bursting; breach; gap.
a burst in the dike.
-
a sudden appearance or opening to view.
idioms
verb
-
to break or cause to break open or apart suddenly and noisily, esp from internal pressure; explode
-
(intr) to come, go, etc, suddenly and forcibly
he burst into the room
-
(intr) to be full to the point of breaking open
-
(intr) to give vent (to) suddenly or loudly
to burst into song
-
to cause or suffer the rupture of
to burst a blood vessel
noun
-
a sudden breaking open or apart; explosion
-
a break; breach; rupture
-
a sudden display or increase of effort or action; spurt
a burst of speed
-
a sudden and violent emission, occurrence, or outbreak
a burst of heavy rain
a burst of applause
-
a volley of fire from a weapon or weapons
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
burstsimple
-
burstssimple
-
have burstperfect
-
have burstedperfect
-
has burstperfect
-
has burstedperfect
-
am burstingprogressive
-
are burstingprogressive
-
is burstingprogressive
-
have been burstingperfect progressive
-
has been burstingperfect progressive
Past
-
burstsimple
-
burstedsimple
-
had burstperfect
-
had burstedperfect
-
was burstingprogressive
-
were burstingprogressive
-
had been burstingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of burst
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bersten, bursten, Old English berstan (past plural burston ), cognate with Old High German brestan ( German bersten ), Old Norse bresta; akin to break
Explanation
A burst is a sudden flurry of activity. Bursts of energy are helpful in shoveling heavy snow, but it's better if you work steadily instead of shoveling fast and stopping. As a verb, burst is your go-to action word to describe something sudden and energetic happening. It usually means, "to explode outward, with noise" like if you burst into song in the middle of study hall, startling everyone. It also means, “to split open in a violent way due to internal pressure” like an overfilled water balloon. It comes from the Old English word berstan, meaning "break suddenly."
Vocabulary lists containing burst
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It is over a year since Ngumoha burst on to the scene for Liverpool with a memorable stoppage-time winner at Newcastle.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
NGC 3256 and II Zw 096, the latter containing a powerful burst of star formation hidden behind thick dust, provide examples of the violent interactions that were especially common in the early universe.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
The initial burst also illustrates how a relatively small number of high-profile accounts can set the agenda for a much larger audience.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller National Home Index, the benchmark for home prices, fell a third in real terms in the years after the bubble burst and is still below the peak.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
A second later the door slammed open and in burst four of his friends—tall, deep-voiced young men in coats with twice-turned collars and threadbare cuffs.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
But most importantly, in Musk’s eyes, at least, the car can be equipped with SpaceX-designed gas thrusters that boost acceleration and, yes, produce bursts of flight.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
The researchers developed a way to get around that problem by delivering extremely short bursts of electrical current.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
While the U.S. stock market has sometimes stumbled this year after Treasury yields’ sudden bursts higher, Kourkafas sees economic growth and a rotation into tech helping the S&P 500 digest higher rates.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
UK summers are expected to become drier on average due to climate change - although when there is heavy rain it could fall in more intense bursts.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
A laugh bursts out of my lips, and she smiles and laughs, and then I bend down and grab the coat and hand it to her.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Postal Service truck had slid 50 feet down an embankment, and the “box containing the frankfurters was bursted open and the contents strewn considerably,” Alexander wrote to a U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
“Cordage has collapsed like a bursted meteor,” reported the Commercial and Financial Chronicle, “and the other industrials have all of them shared to a considerable extent in the decline.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2024
It bursted out of TikTok and into the mainstream last month, when Shakira performed the “Jiggle Jiggle” dance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2022
Minnesota bursted out to a 23-0 lead at halftime as Pittsburgh struggled on offense and with run defense.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2021
"Nicodemus," said Flan. as soon as the Cashier made his appearance, "we have come to make a run upon the bank:—they say you've bursted your biler."
From Quodlibet by John Pendleton Kennedy
That’s why any major pullback or bear market in stocks “will rock the economy,” she said, pointing to the 2001 recession that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
"I fought all alone," says Amal, bursting into tears as she says her ex-husband hired several lawyers but she could not afford legal representation, and her family turned a blind eye to the situation.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
While the house is bursting with artwork that would make most museum curators envious, Herman’s home is surprisingly humble, built on a tight budget from prosaic materials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Scientists say that similar to the bursting of lakes formed by retreating glaciers, these collapses reflect a complex intersection of causes, including the effects of climate change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Tears tracked down Ophie’s cheeks as Aunt Rose took the flower, both of the spirits bursting into glittering shards as they moved on.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
